Shows that combine music with other art forms are becoming increasingly popular. A new show in Chico does just that. “Memory of Salt” aims to push the limits of the imagination, demonstrating the power of electro-ambient sound when paired with visuals.
The show is happening at The Pageant tonight. The theater is taking a day off from playing the latest indie film to host the night of experimental sounds and visuals.
Dorian Rohlfes, who goes by the artist name Vik Whistle, helped design the show. He heard that The Pageant was looking to be a venue for other types of creative art forms and followed up with the idea.
"I know there aren't a lot of places that can host this kind of act, so hopefully, if this show goes well, this could be a place where these sorts of shows could keep happening," Rohlfes said.
Electronic and ambient music tends to abandon the strict boundaries of song structure and places more emphasis on the sonic landscape and atmosphere.
Tonight’s show will consist of various visuals with live performances.
The lineup also includes musical artists Greyloom, This Valve Controls and Ozol.
Artists Vik Whistle and LOLA collaborate on film score
Rohlfes's, or Vik Whistle’s, latest project was born out of the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic when bands, including his own, were breaking up. He found himself alone in the basement with his first synthesizer.
“I'm sort of new to the electronic world in general,” Rohlfes said.
Rohlfes is now using what he learned to write the score for artist and filmmaker LOLA’s debut film project. The project was shot entirely in Berlin.
“I had the idea for the film for about a year now, but it didn't fully happen until I was in Berlin,” LOLA said.
LOLA said that one of her favorite parts of the creative process is improvisation.
“When I made the movie, I just assigned the characters, and then I told the actors to do whatever they wanted based on their character,” LOLA said. “So basically, none of it was scripted.”
Duo Greyloom showcase their collaboration
Some musical collaborations are just meant to be. Such is the case with the duo of Erik Elliott and Erin Lizardo, known as Greyloom. They are one of several local acts due to perform during "Memory of Salt."
“I've always kind of made electronic music, at least on the side,” Elliott said.
The husband and wife team are familiar faces in the local music community, each having participated in multiple local bands over the years.
They join the lineup to showcase their brand of ‘haunted space castle music.’
“We all identify as multidisciplinary artists, so creating situations where we can curate experiences for people and also gives us the opportunity to be experimental,” Lizardo said. “In the same space, see what kind of experience we can create for anybody interested.”
Their set will highlight the duo's new wave sound along with what Elliot calls their 'junky equipment.' It will also include visuals.
This Valve Controls joins the artist lineup
Chico artist John Slater’s desire for noise started after his first paycheck. With it, he purchased his first sampler and began his musical journey into electronic music. He now goes by the artist name This Valve Controls.
“There's something futuristic, but organic and emotive, that I can feel so much from this, weird sounds that seem like it comes from the future, but it's here and now,” Slater said.
Eventually, sampling other artists became monotonous for him, so he began crafting his own sound. He says that in ambient music, where a singular event may be elongated, there exists ample opportunity for subtle artistic choices.
Slater believes that in electronic music, the small details matter. Whether creating ambient music with sustained sounds or other genres, there are countless opportunities to make subtle changes.
“Having music that allows you to drop out of time and appreciate these tiny moments with such a magnitude is important,” Slater said. “That's why I like creating it on the fly, like listening to how I feel with the tone and reacting to that.”
All artists will take the main stage tonight at The Pageant at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are sold out online, but there are still some available at the door.
